About 1,558 teachers in Kitwe and Ndola are allegedly doing nothing but drawing government salaries, while schools in rural districts continue to experience acute teacher shortages. Copperbelt Province Minister, Emmanuel Kasambo, disclosed that Kitwe District has an excess of…

About 1,558 teachers in Kitwe and Ndola are allegedly doing nothing but drawing government salaries, while schools in rural districts continue to experience acute teacher shortages.

Copperbelt Province Minister, Emmanuel Kasambo, disclosed that Kitwe District has an excess of 1,247 teachers comprising 548 secondary school teachers and 699 primary school teachers who have no classes to teach because urban schools are full.

He said Ndola District has an excess of 311 teachers, 152 secondary and 159 primary, stating that the combined excess for the two urban districts stands at 1,558 teachers.

Mr Kasambo said the teachers are practicing the rotation system popularly known as ichilimba system, where four to five teachers share one class as they agree among themselves that one teaches for a week while the other three rest for three weeks.

The Minister said this during a media briefing after a meeting with Teachers Unions on the Copperbelt Province.

He said it is unacceptable that rural districts are in need of teachers, with Lufwanyama which has a deficit of 240 teachers while Mpongwe has a deficit of 639 teachers.

Mr Kasambo added that he is still waiting for figures for Masaiti and other rural districts, but noted that some schools in rural areas have only two or three teachers handling learners from Early Childhood Education to Grade Nine.

“Why should two urban districts have 1,558 teachers doing nothing while rural children are being disadvantaged and denied their right to quality education?” he said.

He has since issued instructions to the Provincial Education Officer and the Copperbelt Permanent Secretary, Lawrence Mwanza, to immediately redistribute the excess teachers to rural districts.

Mr Kasambo said President Hakainde Hichilema deployed over 40,000 teachers in five years.

“It is unacceptable for teachers to refuse deployment to rural areas while demanding that the government builds decent houses, shopping malls and installs Starlink internet before they can work,” he said.

He has warned that those unwilling to serve in rural areas will be removed from the payroll to pave way for those ready to serve, stressing that the matter is dear to his heart and he is ready to receive insults.